German Activist Alleges Rape in Turkish Detention
RastinewsGerman activist Paula Maier says a security officer raped her while she was held for deportation in Turkey. German writer Nadia Schuhmann, who brought Maier's account to public attention, criticized Berlin for staying silent.
Maier says she was detained in January during a trip to Turkey with a group of fellow activists and was sexually assaulted at the facility where she was held pending deportation.
According to a report on Perspektive Online, Maier said in a Wednesday statement that a security officer raped her while she was in detention.
Maier was one of 16 activists who reportedly traveled to Northern Kurdistan in a show of solidarity with Rojava. She said other members of the delegation were also subjected to various forms of violence in custody.
'Sexual violence is used against politically active women'
Nadia Schuhmann, who wrote up Maier's account, argued that sexual violence is used to intimidate, humiliate and drive politically active women out of their activism.
Schuhmann said this was why it mattered for Maier to speak publicly about what happened to her, adding that allegations of torture, mistreatment and sexual violence have surfaced before in Turkish prisons and detention centers.
German government criticized over silence
Schuhmann's piece also took aim at the German government, criticizing it sharply over its military and political ties with Turkey.
Germany has exported weapons to Turkey for years, Schuhmann noted, arguing that Berlin's response to allegations of human rights violations cannot be separated from its relationship with Ankara.
The piece noted that Germany exported large volumes of weapons to Turkey in 2018 and 2019, that export licenses for Turkey reached roughly 230 million euros in 2024, and that Germany approved the export of Eurofighter jets to Turkey in July 2025.
Schuhmann said Berlin had likewise failed to respond adequately in cases involving German nationals who reported sexual violence, torture and mistreatment in detention in Israel and Syria.
The report did not mention any response from Turkish authorities to Maier's rape allegation. It also did not indicate that the claim had been confirmed by independent sources or judicial authorities.